Support for feed-off-the-arm sewing machines



Feb. 10, 1931. N. CHRISTENSEN 1,792,361

SUPPORT FOR FEED-OFF-THE-ARM SEWING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 10, 1931. N. v. CHRISTENSEN 1,792,361

SUPPORT FOR FEED-OFF-THE-ARM SEWING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1925 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 1931- N. v. CHRISTENSEN 1,792,361

SUPPORT FOR FEED-OFF-THE-ARM SEWING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1926 5 Sheet-Sheet a 1931. N. v. CHRISTENSEN 1,792,361

SUPPORT FOR FEED-OFF-THE-ARM SEWING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1926 5 Shegia-Sheet 4 Feb. 10, 1931. N. v. CHRISTENSEN Q 1 SUPPORT FOR FEED-OFF-THE-ARM SEWING MACHINES Filed May 7, 1926 5 sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 10, 1931 PATENT OFFICE NORMAN V. CHRISTENSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS SUPPORT FOR FEED-OFF-THE-ARM SEWING MACHINES Application filed May 7,

arm is in front of the edge of the table, so that v the material as it is stitched may fall free of the table.

A further object of the invention is to provide a'support for a sewing machine of the above type, which support consists of a bracket attached to the under side of the table, and projecting forward of the front edge of the table, so that the entire base-of the machine may be supported on said bracket in front of the edge of the table or substantially so.

A further object of the invention is to provide a support of the above type wherein the transmitter for transmitting power from the driving shaft to the sewing machine is mounted on the bracket which supports the sewing machine.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a support of the above type wherein the sewing machine may be so placed relative to the table that the driving shaft of the sewing machine is either at right angles to or parallel with the longitudinal center of the table and the axis of the driving shaft beneath the same, while the end of the suspended work supporting arm is forward of the edge of the table so that the material may drop freely as it leaves the end of the work supporting arm.

These and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part be hereinafter more fully disclosed.

In the drawings which show by way of illustration one embodiment of the invention I Figure 1 is a plan view, showing a sewing machine and support therefor embodying the 1926. Serial No. 107,520.

improvement, parts of the table being broken away to show the structure beneath the same;

Fig. 2 is a front view of the same;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view through the table and showing the supporting bracket, the machine, the transmitter and the treadle controls for the transmitter and parts of the sewing mechanism all in side view;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, with the treadles omitted, and showing a slightly modified form of bracket and arrangement of sewing machine thereon;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the bracket shown in Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing a table with a series of machines arranged thereon and supported by the bracket shown in Figures 4 and 5.

The invention is directed broadly to a supporting means for a sewing machine having a suspended Work supporting arm on which tubular garments are stitched, and wherein the garment as it is stitched is fed oif from the end of the work supporting arm. In order to best accomplish this result, the work supporting arm is suspended by a depending member carried by the main frame of the machine. The main shaft is located in the main frame of the machine and lies in a vertical plane intersecting said depending member. Projecting laterally from this depending member is a suspended work supporting arm which lies in a plane intersecting the first-named vertical plane in a line which extends substantially centrally of the depending member, the two planes being disposed at an acute angle to each other, so that the'free end of the work supporting arm is in no way obscured by the main frame of the machine, and the operator has a clear viewpoint of the end of the work supporting arm where the stitching takes place. In the stitching of the garment, the material is brought up from beneath the suspended work supporting arm, and the parts which are to be stitched together, are laid over on to the arm and are directed by the hands of the operator along said arm and off from the ends thereof as it is stitched. It

side of this arm shall be free from obstruction by any supporting table or operating parts of the machine directly beneath the arm. When the parts are stitched together, and the tube formed, as for example, the leg portion or sleeve portion of a garment,

' it passes ofi' from the end of the arm and another garment follows right after it. It is important, therefore, that there shall be a clear space at the end of the work supporting arm to permit the garment to drop free of the table on which the machine is supported. In order to provide a proper support for a machine of the above type, so that it may be placed whereby these desirable conditions may be had, a supporting bracket has been provided which is secured to the under side of the table and which projects in front of the table. The supporting'base of the machine is carried on the portion of the bracket which is entirely in front of the table. The machine may be placed onthis support in one of two ways, either with the shaft parallel with the longitudinal center of the table and the axis of the driving shaft therebeneath, or at right angles to the longitudinal center of the table. The last arrangement stated is preferred. In either case, however, when the machine is set forward of the table as stated above, the end of the work supporting arm is either entirely in front of the edge of the table or so nearly in front of the line of the front edge of the table that said front edge may be cut away slightly and thus form a clearance space so that the garment'after it passes off from the end of the arm can fall clear of the table. The transmitter for transmitting power from the operating shaft beneath the table to the sewing machine is preferably mounted on this supporting bracket.

\ ed the main frame 4 of the machine.

a direction substantially at' right angles tothe longitudinal axis of the main shaft 6. At

1 the outer end of this housing 9 is a needle bar 10 which is reciprocated by suitable devices actuated from the main shaft 6.. Adjacent the needle bar is a presser bar 11. The pressed bar 11 carries a presser foot 12 and the needle bar carries needles 13, 13. At the other end of the supporting member 5 is a depending member 14. Said depending member 14 carries a work supporting arm 15. The depending member forms the sole supthe plan view, Fig.

member '14. It will also be noted that the work supporting arm 15 terminates beneath the outer end of the housing 9 so that the looper mechanism and feeding mechanism are properly positioned to cooperate with the needles and presser foot in the feeding. and stitching of the material. It will also be noted that'the depending member 14 is offset from the bracket portion 2 so as to provide ample clearance for the arm of the operator, and thus it is that the operator may reach both sides of the work supporting arm. and place the material on said work support ing arm and guide it along the work supporting arm so that it can be formed into a tubeand fed off from the end of the work supporting arm. i

The sewing machine which "has been described in some detail above, forms no part of the present invention per se, but is shown, described and claimed in a co-pending application filed by Norman V. Christensen and Harold J. Le Vesconte, February 16, 1925,

Serial No. 9,584.

The present invention is directed particularly to the means for supporting a machine of the above type, so that this work supporting arm is not only suspended free of the table on which the machine is mounted, but so that the driving shaft may be placed so as to lie at right angles to the axis of the main actuating shaft or parallel thereto, and thus it is that the main shaft of the sewing machine may be driven by the belt without necessitating the belt being turned at an angle, or said main shaft may be driven through a quarter turn only of the belt.

The sewing machine is mounted on a bracket 16. The sewing machine table is indicated at 17. The bracket has a portion 18 which extends beneath the table 17 and is secured to said table by screws passing through openings 18 in the bracket into the table. The bracket 16 has a front portion 19 which lies entirely in front of the table 17, and the upper surface of this portion 19 is substantially on the same level as the level of the table 17 although this is not essential. The base portion 1 of the sewing machine is placed on the portion 19 of the bracket 16 and is bolted thereto. From Fig. 3 it will be noted that the base portion of the sewing machine lies entirely in front of the front edge of the table 17. In order to further brace the bracket and thus make a very rigid support for the machine, a suitable brace 20 is provided which extends into the lugs 21 on the under side of the bracket and also into a foot 22 secured to the floor. This bracket is inclined so as to be out of the way of the operator. When the machine is placed on the bracket as shown in 'Fig. 3, the longitudinal axis of the shaft 6 is at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the table 17, and also at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the main driving shaft beneath the table. The end of the work supporting arm 15 terminates in front of the forward edge 23 of the table 17. This work supporting arm 15 throughout its entire length is in front of the table, and therefore, there is nothing beneath this work supporting arm, so that the operator may readily raise the material up against the arm and lap it over on to the top of the arm for directing the material along the work supporting arm. The table may, if desired, be provided with a cut away portion 24 adjacent the end of the work supporting arm 15, to make further clearance, so that when the material is fed off from the end of the arm it will drop free of the table into a suitable receptacle placed beneath the same. This provides an arrangement whereby the blanks from which the garments are formed may be taken, placed on the work supporting arm, moved along the arm, until brought into engagement with the stitching mechanism, and then fed by the feed of the sewing machine ofi from the end of the arm, and as the seam is completed, the

completed article will drop into the receptacle therefor. The operator, of course, takes the next blank and follows it right into the stitching mechanism so that the garments pass in succession to the stitching mechanism, are stitched, and then pass on into the receptacle therefor.

Mounted on the portion 18 of the support- 'ing bracket 16 is a transmitter 25. This transmitter is ofthe type shown in the patent to Dudley S. Seymour #854,671, granted May 21, 1907. The driving. belt 26 passes over a suitable driving pulley on the main shaft and thence over a driving pulley on thetrausmitter. This driving pulley is adapted to be connected to the driving pulley 27 of the transmitter by a suitable clutch mechanism controlled by a treadle 28 and the connecting links 29. A belt 30 passes over this driving pulley 27 and over the driving pulley 7 of the sewing machine. An idler 31 is provided for one strand of the belt, and the transmitter is so disposed that with this one idler, the belt may be given a quarter turn so as to transmit power from the transmitter to the main shaft of the sewing machine. A suitable guard 32 is provided so as to protect the operator from the belt 30. The presser foot is raised by means of a lever 33, which lever is connected by a chain 34 to a treadle 35. The operator sits in front of the machine facing in the general direction of the feed of the material as it passes alongthe work supporting arm and ofi from the end thereof, and the two treadles 28 and 35 are thus properly positioned for the operator to manipulate the same.

From the above, it will be noted that the machine may be readily mounted on any table with little or no change therein. The bracket is secured to the under side of the table and the transmitter is mouhted on the bracket. The front edge of the table may be cut away for clearance, or not, as this is not absolutely essential, so that, if desired, the machine may be placed on any table having the main shaft running lengthwise thereof, without altering the table.

In Figures 4 to 6, inclusive, a slightly modified arrangement of the sewing machine is shown. The sewing machine, however, is precisely the same as that above described. The bracket 16 in this form of the invention is secured to the under side of the table 17, as before, and projects in front of the table as indicated at 19, in the same manner as has been described in connection with the arrangement of the sewing machine with the main shaft at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the table. The bracket is su ported in part by a brace 20. Mounted on the bracket is the transmitter 25. In this form of the bracket, the sewing machine is mounted so that the shaft 6 is parallel with the longitudinal axis of the main drivin shaft located beneath the table which is in icated in Fig. 6 at 36. The belt 30 driven by a transmitter and operating the main shaft 6 of the sewing machine, runs straight and has no gears whatever. The work supporting arm 15 extends outwardly away from the forward edge 23 of the table. In Fig. 6, there is shown a series of machines arranged on opposite sides of a very narrow table. The operator sits in the chair indicated at 37, and is thus directly in rear of the work supporting arm so that the material may be placed around the same and directed along said work supporting arm off from the end thereof. It will be noted that in this arrangement of the sewing machine,

the work supporting arm is entirely free of the table, and that the garments to be stitched may be placed on said arm and will fall free of the table after they are stitched, and as they pass off from the end of the arm. In Fig. 5 the bracket used for supporting the sewing machine with the shaft parallel with the edge of the table, is shown in detail in bottom plan View. The openings 18 are for the screws which secure the bracket to the under side of the table. The lugs 18 are for supporting the transmitter, and the lug 20 is forthe brace 20. The sewing machine is bolted to the bracket by screws 38 which pass up through the openings 39 in the bracket. While the bracket used in supporting the tion to that shown in Fig. 5, although slightly diiferent in outline, because of the different arrangement of the base of the machine thereon. The bracket is, however, shown in plan 1, and further detail disclosure is not in Fig1 thoug tnecessary.

While a bracket has been shown which is attached to the under side of the table, and projects forward thereof, so that the entire ase of the machine is in front of the forward edge of the table, it will be understood that these parts and the arrangement thereof may porting of a sewing machine having a suspended work supporting arm off from the end of which the material is fed as it is stitched, so that the entire work supporting arm, or at least the major portion thereof, is free from the table so that the operator can readily lift the material from beneath into position for directing the same along the work supporting'arm, and the finished garment after it is stitched drops free of the table.

The arrangement of a series of machines of the type wherein the arm extends away from the'tablehasbeen shown in Fig. 6, instead of the machinesof' the type wherein the arm extends toward the forward edge of the table for the reason that the machine wherein the arm extends awayirom the table requires a new arrangement of the seat for the operator and this has been shown in detail in said figure. It is understood, however, that the machines of either type may be ararran ed in series along a table on one side or on 0th sids thereof, and that the position of the arm of the machine relative to the table greatly facilitates the handling of the material forming the stitched'garment.

It is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of'the invention as setforth in the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

rial may be readily placed about and on the arm for stitching and when it is'fed oif from the armafter the stitching is completed it may freely drop.

2. The combination of a sewing machine having a. suspended horizontally disposed work supporting arm from theend of which the material is fed after it is stitched, a table, and a bracket secured to said table and projecting forwardly from the table for supporting the sewin machine and its suspended arm in front of t e table and "with said suspended arm at one side of said bracket whereof obstruction beneath the same so that the material may be readily placed about and on the arm for stitching and when it is fed off from the arm after the stitching is completed it may freely drop, and an inclined floor strut for supportm the outer end of said bracket. 3. The com ination of'a sewing machine having a suspended horizontally disposed by the work supporting arm is entirely free work supporting arm from the end of which the material is fed after it is stitched, a table, and a bracket secured to said table and projecting forwardly from the table for supporting the sewing machine and its suspended arm in front of the table and'with said suspended arm at one side of said bracket whereby the work supporting arm is entirely free of obstruction beneath the same so that the material may be readily placed about and on the arm for stitching and when it is fed off from the arm after the stitching is completed it may freely drop, said sewing machine being disposed on said bracket so that the main actuating shaft of the sewing ma chine lies in a vertical plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the supporting table, and said horizontally suspended arm is disposed so that the material is fed toward the table as it passes along said arm.

4. The combination of a sewing machine having a suspended horizontally disposed work supporting arm from the end of which the material is fed after it is stitched, a table, and a bracket secured to said table and pro' jecting forwardly from the table for supporting the sewing machine and its suspended arm in front of the table and with said suspended arm at one side of said bracket whereby the work supporting arm is entirely'free of obstruction beneath the same so that the material maybe readily placed about and on the arm for stitching andvwhen it is fed off from the arm after the stitching is completed it may freely drop, said sewing machine being disposed on said bracket so that the main actuating shaft of the sewing machine lies in a vertical plane at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the supporting table, and said horizontally suspended arm is disposed so that the material is fed toward the table as it passes along said arm, a transmitter mounted on said bracket with the axis of the rotating parts thereof at right angles to said vertical plane containing the actuating shaft of the machine.

5. In combination with a sewing machine having a suspended main frame with a work supporting arm, off the end of which the material is fed after it is stitched, a table or support, a'bracket attached to said table or support and projecting forwardly of the edge thereof and with its upper face substantially flush with the top of said table or support, said bracket receiving and supporting the base of the sewing machine entirely at one side of the work supporting arm so that the latter is free and unobstructed and at its end a opposite the operative is spaced from the table or support.

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

NORMAN V. CHRISTENSEN. 

